Mr. James John Smith, 72, of Concord, NC passed away
Sunday, June 12, 2011 at the Tucker Hospice House.

James was born December 20, 1938 in Glen Cove, NY to the late James
Smith and Hannah McAndrew Smith. He owned and operated Jimmy's
Chevron from 1966 to 1988.

Pops/Jimmy lived for racing! When he was a young boy, his dad bought
him a bike and the first thing he did was take it apart and rig it
to go faster! That says it all - SPEED!

His life was described as the green flag and the checkered flags.
Even in the end, on Facebook, his sense of humor shined through with
“I'm operating under a caution” when we were sitting there in tears.
Always a joker.

Pops was a fighter. He fought the fight and won the race. He even
asked, “Do they have therapy at hospice” and that tells you what
kind of fighting spirit he was. His grandchildren gave him the
motivation to fight as long and hard as he could. Pops/Jimmy
wouldn't want his to be sad, but rather a story of the life he
lived.

One of his favorite sayings was “Quitters never win and winners
never quit” and that is how he lived his life, even the battle of
his life, he never quit.

Pops is survived by his children, Jimmy Smith and wife Tammie, Lisa
Lynn and husband Jeff, and Gary Smith and wife Jacqui;
grandchildren, Dylan Smith, Kiana and Kyle Lynn, Jaxson and Addyson
Smith; sister, Pat Coombs; cousin, Eugene McAndrew; and a number of
nieces and nephews.

A funeral mass will be held 10am Saturday, July 30, 2011 at St.
Jerome''s Catholic Church in Norwalk, CT.

Memorials may be sent to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cabarrus
County, 5003 Hospice Ln., Kannapolis, NC 28081.